NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Pocono moves back to Fridays in 2013

Pocono Raceway is returning to Friday qualifying sessions for its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.

For the past two years, qualifying for both races was held on Saturday. But this year, qualifying for the Pocono 400 will take place on Friday, June 7, and qualifying for the Pennsylvania 400 will be held on Friday, Aug. 2.

In a press release, track president and CEO Brandon Igdalsky said the fans were outspoken in wanting qualifying to return to the traditional Friday spot.

There also is one other change regarding the ARCA Series race in August. The Pennsylvania 125 will switch from a Saturday race to Friday, Aug. 2. The move alleviates a Saturday schedule that has been crowded for the past three years since Pocono began hosting a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.

"The changes, done in cooperation with NASCAR and the ARCA Racing Series, should be a great benefit for race fans attending our raceway this summer," Igdalsky said in a press release.

Tickets for the Pocono 400 weekend June 7-9 and the Pennsylvania 400 weekend Aug. 2-4 are still available by calling 1-800-RACEWAY or visiting www.poconoraceway.com.

IndyCar racing also returns to the track this year with the Pocono IndyCar 400 weekend July 5-7.

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